What I would say if I met my 17 yrs old entrepreneur-self

The journey of being an entrepreneur has been a learning journey but also a challenging journey.  It is one that constantly bends my faith, tests my characters and challenges me to extend the limits of my tolerance every day.  Some days I am brought down to my knees other days I am lifted like an angel with wings.   Although I am one to believe it is better to look ahead than to look back, I believe therein lies in the past lessons that if I forget, will repeat itself until I have learn them.  As I look back and address my 17 years old self, I am also reminding my present self that with these battle scars, I know better and I will do better.   By no mean this is the complete list of all the things I would say but perhaps the ones that I would say right now if I were able to step in a time warp.

Be curious.
Curiosity allows you to absorb everything that is happening around, it create a sense of excitement that you will always experience something fresh but more importantly it will make you ask the question “Why?” and it is with that particular question you begin to find knowledge.  Keep watching Star Trek; continue to dream of travelling to a distant galaxy and embrace the unknown but investigate by asking “Why?”

Be playful.
Play doesn’t cost money, play doesn’t involve thinking because play is something you feel like you need to do and you can’t somehow justify it without giggling.  Smile often, laugh out loud and be silly.  Decorum and improprieties are for the 1800’s ladies who drink tea and wear corsets.   A wise lady named Laurel Thatcher Ulrich said, “Well-behaved women rarely make history.”

Be courageous.
Bad thing will happen to you.  That is a fact of life; you can feel weak from it but make the decision that the experience will not reduce you.  Tremble but forge ahead with courage.  Let me tell me how geeky girls are hot in the future so bear with teasing and bullying for now.   Keep standing out, shrinking down to be less a person that you are to please others is not.

Be wary of whinning.
If you don’t like something, change it.  It is within your power, you are in control of yourself and your mind.  You are not a victim of your circumstance.  Be proactive, be the change because “We become what we think about all day long” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Believe.
Be yourself, believe in yourself and be still.  People will say you are too young, not smart enough, wrong time, wrong place, too much of a girl, too ambitious, too emotional – too much of everything wrong and too little of anything worthwhile.   Hush up and believe me, you can be anything you want to be.  A lawyer, a microbiologist or an entrepreneur – whatever that path is, you get to choose and you have life’s permission to change your mind. Be still and hear your own voice, believe it as it will guide you – ignore it at your own perils.

Me and my friends at Templeton High School

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Living Luxuriously with Lexie Lamour

Too often, we get caught up doing everything we need to do in life and not much that we want to do. With hectic schedules, meeting demands, and putting in hours and hours of hard work, stress just seems to come oh so easily. Sometimes we need to stop, relax and indulge a little… or a lot. Consider the Kitty Card. It started out as a concept from a women’s social group (Glam City Girls) and is now emerging into a full-fledged exclusive deals card that is being accepted at some of the hottest spots around town. 

Lexie Lamour, president of the Kitty Card, launched it late last year after moving to the city from South Beach with one mission in mind: “To give all women in Vancouver access to that ‘celebrity treatment’ [so they can] feel indulgent, empowered and like a queen.” To do that, “[I] partner with Vancouver’s finest retailers, salons and hospitality businesses. Each of our partnering businesses know to go the extra mile while treating Kitties.” 

Although the benefits from the card may be blissful, establishing it during one of the most difficult years wasn’t. “It’s tough to get credit in this economy, especially when you’re self employed. The hardest and most important part is to get people to believe in your vision. I had a few people tell me to come back in two years and then they’ll talk to me,” Lexie admits, “You have to put in extra work to start but it’s well worth it when it starts to take shape.” From all this she has learned to “be realistic with goals, have focus [but] be flexible and last but not least, take time off.” 

So when she’s not working, the fashion and beauty enthusiast is exploring new shops, beauty products and cool spaces just like your go-to girlfriend. 

Not only does she scope out the most luxurious spots around town, she plans exclusive events for kitties. Some of her past events include a Sex and the City style cocktail party for the launch of the card and Kitty Holiday Soiree Christmas party in Yaletown that included makeovers, and mini-manicures. A regular event to anticipate is her Country Club brunch that is located at a different location every month, so members can experience a whole new vibe. 

Her events have garnered so much attention that cities like Toronto have been asking for their own card. And they may be in luck because she plans on spreading the discounts to major Canadian and US cities in the next few years. She also aims to partner with a swanky restaurant like Earls and is already in talks with a few make-up stores! 

Along with that, be on the lookout for boutiques and lifestyle businesses such as hotels and even limo services. Who wouldn’t want to travel in style? Let’s face it, we all need a good dose of the Kitty life once in a while because like Lexie says “work will be there in the morning and you can’t work well if you’re not well. So grab your Kitty Card and live a little!”

Posted via email from minna's posterous